This January, Digging In members gathered in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona for two days filled with education, inspiration, connection, and plenty of conversations about plants, business, and creativity.
Hosted at the gorgeous Scott Resort & Spa, attendees were welcomed with warm sunshine, stunning desert scenery, cozy evenings around the fire pits, and the chance to connect with fellow professional container gardeners from across the United States and Canada.
One of the most meaningful parts of this year’s Winter Gathering was that several of our featured presentations were led by Digging In members themselves — professionals who are actively doing this work every single day. These weren’t generic business presentations from people outside our industry. We learned directly from experienced container gardeners who truly understand the unique challenges, creativity, physical demands, and business realities of what we do.
Learning From the Best in Our Industry
The gathering kicked off Monday afternoon with welcome introductions before attendees dove into an incredible lineup of presentations from fellow members.
Heather Markway of Life Garden Style presented Content That Connects: Winning on Instagram, where she shared practical, real-world strategies for creating social media content that actually connects with customers. Even better, attendees immediately had the opportunity to put those ideas into action during an interactive Instagram working session where members collaborated, brainstormed, and learned from one another.
Jennifer Slusher Storr of Branch and Bloom followed with The Workshop on Workshops, sharing how she has successfully incorporated workshops into her business model. Members walked away with valuable insight into creating educational experiences, connecting with customers, and building additional revenue streams within their businesses.
One of the greatest strengths of Digging In is the willingness of members to openly share what’s working in their businesses, and these sessions perfectly reflected that spirit of collaboration and community.
Tuesday continued with additional presentations from industry partners including Crescent Garden, Suntory, and My Patio Tree, along with updates from Digging In leadership about the future of the organization and upcoming opportunities for members.
Hands-On Learning & Inspiration
After a picnic lunch on the lawn at The Scott Resort, attendees traveled together to Berridge Nursery for a spring planting demonstration by Howard Nemeroff of Plant Parenting, Inc.
Howard’s presentation was another highlight of the event because attendees had the opportunity to learn directly from someone who deeply understands professional container gardening installations and seasonal color design. Watching Howard demonstrate his process, plant combinations, and design techniques in real time sparked conversation, inspiration, and plenty of note-taking among attendees.
The afternoon continued with a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden, where members explored the beauty and texture of the desert landscape together before ending the evening with dinner in Old Town Scottsdale at Barrio Queen.
More Than Education — Real Connection
While the presentations and garden visits were incredible, some of the most valuable moments happened in between the scheduled events.
Throughout the gathering, members spent evenings gathered around the resort fire pits talking shop, sharing stories from installs, discussing business challenges, exchanging ideas, and building friendships with people who truly understand this unique profession.
Professional container gardening can often feel isolating, especially for owner-operators managing every aspect of their businesses themselves. Gatherings like this provide a rare opportunity to be surrounded by people who “get it.”
The Scott Resort & Spa created the perfect atmosphere for these conversations with its beautiful outdoor spaces, relaxed setting, and stunning Arizona backdrop.
Professional Headshots for Every Attendee
One especially fun addition to this year’s Winter Gathering was complimentary professional headshots for every attendee.
As business owners, many of us spend our days behind the scenes creating beautiful work for others, but rarely take the time to invest in updated professional photos for ourselves and our brands. It was such a special opportunity for members to leave not only inspired and educated, but also with fresh professional images they can use for their businesses, websites, and social media.
Scholarship Sponsors
This year, we were also incredibly grateful to Ball Seed, Jack’s Fertilizer, and NAPCO for sponsoring scholarships that helped three attendees join us in Scottsdale.
Providing opportunities for members to attend events like this is so important to our organization, and we are deeply thankful for industry partners who believe in supporting the professional growth and connection of container gardeners across the country.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
A huge thank you to the sponsors who helped make this gathering feel so special through their support and generous swag bag contributions.
Thank you to:
- Potrisers
- Crescent Garden
- My Patio Tree
- Pivot Point
- NAPCO
- Dramm
- Harvest Gold Organics
- Red Barn White House
- Suntory
Your generosity added so much fun and excitement to the attendee experience, and we are grateful for your continued support of the Digging In community.
Until Next Time…
Most importantly, thank you to the incredible Digging In members who continue to show up, share openly, encourage one another, and elevate this profession together.
The Scottsdale Winter Gathering reminded us once again that while we may all run different businesses in different parts of the country, we are united by a shared passion for creating beauty through plants — and by a community that truly understands the work we do.
We are already counting down until the next Gathering. 🌿
